Jenny ungaro



N0. 6Il,803. Patented Oct. 4, I898. J. UNGARI].

JflAlL DISTRIBUTING DEVICE.

(Application filed Aug. 12, 1897.)

(No Model.)

ix-(q J ml A TTORNEKS THDNORRIS PETERS cu, morournu" WASHINGTON. u. c,

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JENNY UNGARO, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

MA lL-DISTRIBUTING DEVICE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 611,803, dated October 4, 1898.

I Application filed August 12, 1897. Serial No. 647,934. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known thatjL'JENNY UNeARo, a subject of the King of Italy, and a resident of New York city, county of New York, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mail-Distributing Devices, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part thereof, in which similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

This invention relates to improvements in mail distributing devices for apartmenthouses, office-buildin gs, or private dwellings, and my object is to provide a means whereby mail deposited in a carrier on the ground-floor will be distributed automatically and quickly to the different floors or apartments of the building. a

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a sectional end elevation of my invention on a line 0000 of Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a front elevation. Fig. 3 is a view of current-reverser. Fig. 4 is a view of current-'reverser in opposite position. Fig. 5 is a sectional view'of the current-reverser on a line 9 y of Fig. 3. vation of the current-reverser on a line Z Zof Fig. 3 and Fig. 7 is a sectional View showing the carrier delivering mail to the receptacle.

In thepractice of my invention I employ a* conduit or shaft A,extending from the groundfioor to any height where mail is to be delivered. At each floor the shaft, through the front wall thereof,is provided with an opening a, over which is secured a box or mail-receptacle a. Within the shaftA is a car or carrier B, adapted to receive mail through openings 1) in the lower end of the outer wall of said shaft. This carrier is divided into a number of compartments registering in vertical alinement' with the openings a in the shaft A where mail is to be delivered, said openings in the shaft corresponding in number with the compartments of the carrier B and each opening registering with one compartment of the carrier B. Thus the mail deposited in the first compartment will be delivered on first floor or apartment and matter in second compartment will be delivered on the second floor. or apartment, and so on at each successive landing. In front of each compartment of said carrier a door I) is suspended, being hinged at its up- Fig. 6 is asectional ele-- per edge and being provided with an opening near its upper end through which the mailmatter is inserted. Each compartment is pro- 5 5 is evident that as the car passes an opening in the tube or shaft the pressure of the matter against thedepending door I) will force'it outward and the matter will drop into the receiving-boxes a.

The receiving-boxes a are secured to the exterior of the shaft or tube A directly over the openings a andextending downwardly a short distance to facilitate the delivery of the mail.

shaft, preferably near the receiving-box a, is a signal device 0, consisting of contactpiece 0 of resilient metal and having a button a or projection C on its upper end which protrud'es into the shaft A, a second metallic contact-piece 0 an electric bell c and any suitable source of electrical supply, as '0. It will be seen that as the carrier ascends the button is forced outward and contact is made between contact-pieces c and c and the bell 8o rings until the carrier has passed, when the button springs back to original position, then breaking the circuit. This signal is adapted to give notice that mail-matter has been discharged into a receptacle 0..

For raising the carrier through the shaft A I provide an electric motor D',on the armatureshaft of which is a small pinion d, meshing with a larger gear-wheel d, secured on the shaft (1 which carries the drum d to which is secured the cable E, attached to the carrier B. The motor is electrically connected with any suitable source of electric power F by means of wires f and f, connected with a switch G, wires f and f leading from the 5 switchG to current-reverser H, and wires f and f leading from current-reverser H to the motor D.

The switch G comprises a lever g, with a depending contact-piece g adapted to be insorted between the two spring contact-pieces g and g, mounted on an insulating-support 9 The switch Gis so placed with reference to the carrierB that the carrier in its descent- At any suitable point on theeXterior of the 70 rests upon the lever g, forcing the depending contact-piece g out of engagement with the contact-pieces g and g thus breaking the circuit through the motor D.

The current-reverser H consists'of a block h, upon which is pivotally secured a disk 7L,

of ebonite or any suitable insulating material. This disk It is provided with a forked lever 7L2, secured to its periphery, and has secured to its upper surface the two circuit-closers h and 72*, arranged on the opposite quadrants of the disk h. On the block h are secured the fixed contact-pieces 7L5, h 71- and h In Fig. 3 it will be seen clearly that the current will pass through the contact-piece 71 the current-closer 72 the contact-piece h, and thence to the motor, returning through the contact-piece Its, the circuit-closer h and the contact-piece h Diametrically across the disk and insulated from each other by fiber or other insulating material 7L9 are the two contact-pieces 71 and h.

In the position shown in Fig. i the current passes through contact-piece 7L5, circuit-closer.

70 and contact-piece 72. thence to the motor, returning through contact-piece h, the circuit-closer h, and contact-piece 7L7. It will be seen that the current passes through the motor in the opposite direction from that shown in Fig. 3, which will cause the armature of the motor to revolve in the opposite direction from that shown in Fig. 4.

The current-reverser H is so placed that the cable E passes between the prongs of the forked lever k attached to the disk h.

Buttons F and F are secured to the cable E in such positions that as the carrier B reaches the uppermost point where mail is to be delivered the button F raises the forked lever 71?, Fig. 3, which breaks contact between contact-pieces 7L7 and h and circuit-closer 7L and the contact-pieces 72. and h and circuitcloser 7L3 and immediately reestablishes the circuit, as in Fig. 4, through contact-pieces h and h and circuit-closer 72, and contactpieces k and h and circuit-closer h thus reversing the current through the motor, and the carrier descends. As the carrier approaches the end of its descent the button F comes in contact with the lever 7&2 from the opposite side, setting the circuit-reverser in its normal position, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, simultaneously breaking the circuit at the switch G, as already described.

In operation the postman drops the mail through the slots 1') into the proper compartment of the carrier 13 and lifts the lever g, thereby making the circuit through the wires f and f, the switch G, the wires f and f, the current-reverser H, and motor D. The motor D causes the drum (1 to revolve, thus starting the carrier B in its ascent. As the carrier reaches the first box or opening in the shaft A the mail of the corresponding compartment will force the hinged door I) outward and drop into the receiving-box B on that fiooror compartment. The carrier continuing on sounds the alarm C, and as it reaches the second opening the contents of the second compartment will be delivered in the same manner as before, the carrier c011- tinuing on delivering at each successive floor until the top of the shaft is reached, when it begins its descent by reversing the current through the motor, as has been hereinbefore described. As the carrier reaches the bottom the current-reverser is set at normal position by the button F on the cable E, and the current is broken simultaneously by the pressure of the carrier on lever g.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

A mail-delivery apparatus, comprising a vertical shaft having a plurality of openings therethrough, receptacles secured over said openings, a carrier provided with a series of compartments arranged in parallel lines thereon, each compartment adapted to register with an opening in the shaft, and devices provided in the compartments whereby each compartment automatically delivers its contents into a receptacle, means for sounding an alarm as each compartment delivers its contents, and means for elevating and lowering the carrier, consisting of a cable adapted to be operated by means of an electric motor, said cable having a button fixed thereon, a forked switch-lever operated by said button when said carrier is at its highest point, said switch-lever being adapted to cut off and reverse the current of electricity, thereby causing the carrier to automatically stop and descend after having been elevated, substantially as shown and described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I have signed my name, in pres ence of two witnesses, this 6th day of August,

JENNY UNGARO. IVitnesses:

M. G. MACLEAN, E. SEIDLER.

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